In the wake of Justin Bieber’s headlining (and headline-grabbing) Coachella performances in April, last year’s “Daisies” jolted back to the top 10 of the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. for two weeks just after. Even more striking, more than a dozen tracks from across his career debuted on or re-entered the lists, topped by 2012’s “Beauty and a Beat” (featuring Nicki Minaj), which ultimately was No. 1 on each chart for multiple weeks. But perhaps most surprising, that track has outlasted the festival’s direct aftermath, holding – and gaining – in the top five of each chart, more than four months later.
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On the Aug. 29-dated Global 200, “Beauty and a Beat” rises 6-5 with 30.4 million official streams worldwide in the week ending Aug. 20, according to Luminate. On the Global Excl. U.S. chart, which measures the biggest songs in the world outside of the United States, it holds at No. 4. Based solely on streams outside the U.S., it ranks second (24.9 million), behind Shakira and Burna Boy’s World Cup anthem “Dai Dai.” Essentially, if not for this summer’s soccer tournament spotlight, Bieber’s 14-year-old hit would, again, be the most-clicked song beyond the U.S.
But while “Beauty and a Beat” holds in the top five, 16 of Bieber’s post-Coachella charting hits have disappeared entirely from the global charts, with “Daisies” back below the top 50 and 2010’s “Baby” (featuring Ludacris) under the top 100.
This marks the 19th consecutive week in the top 10 for “Beauty and a Beat” on Global Excl. U.S., with it having made small dips and rebounds over the course of four months. After falling as low as No. 9 on the June 27-dated tally — pushed back, in part, by a suite of Olivia Rodrigo tracks — it inched its way back, returning to No. 2 earlier this month. During its ongoing run, it has even outlasted the extended biopic-aided resurgence of Michael Jackson’s catalog, with “Billie Jean” slipping out of the top 10 of the Global 200 after hitting No. 1 in May.
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The Bieber track has also resurged stateside, where it ultimately got to No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 (after reaching No. 5 on its original run) and No. 5 on Streaming Songs. It continued to chart on the latter list, albeit lower than on the global rankings, until it dropped off earlier this month.
So how does “Beauty and a Beat” remain one of the biggest songs outside the U.S. while receding more so domestically?
Over Coachella’s two weekends, global streams for “Beauty and a Beat” vaulted by 824% (from the week ending April 9 to the week ending April 23). In that span, the song’s international profile expanded, with non-U.S. listens up from 76% to 83% of its worldwide total.
Months later, the track’s total streams have fallen to at 30.4 million in the week ending Aug. 20 – still more than triple its pre-Coachella baseline – but its international breadth holds, at just 17% from U.S. listeners and 83% from elsewhere.
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“Beauty and a Beat” exploded nearly everywhere following two performances in Indio, Calif. Ultimately, it charted on 37 of Billboard’s 48 Hits of the World charts, reaching the top 10 on 34, and topping lists in 12 international markets. It remains 11 territory-specific rankings, still in the top 10 in Austria, Germany, and Malaysia.
The 2012 release of “Beauty and a Beat” long pre-dates the 2020 launch of Billboard’s global charts (and the Hits of the World rankings in 2022). But its performance on local charts in international markets indicates that it’s a far bigger hit worldwide now than it was in its original chart run. On Germany’s Gfk Top 100 Singles, it peaked at No. 53 in 2012 but reached No. 1 this year. On Switzerland’s Hitparade ranking, it improves upon its initial No. 46 high by, again, hitting No. 1. It’s a similar story for charts in Austria (No. 42 vs. No. 1) Netherlands (No. 43 vs. No. 1), Romania (No. 45 vs. No. 1) and over a dozen more countries.
